CVE-2026-47121 (GCVE-0-2026-47121)
Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-07-21 13:53 – Updated: 2026-07-22 14:30
VLAI
EPSS
VEX
Title
Sparkle: Binary delta apply intermediate-symlink traversal in malicious .delta
Summary
Sparkle is a software update framework for macOS. Prior to version 2.9.2, `Autoupdate/SUBinaryDeltaApply.m` enforces `relativePath.pathComponents containsObject:@".."` and rejects writes whose immediate parent directory IS itself a symbolic link, but does not detect symlinks deeper in the relative path. `Autoupdate/SPUSparkleDeltaArchive.m`'s `extractItem:` will create symlinks in the destination tree from archive content (no `..` check on the symlink target), and a subsequent `Extract` item targeting `<symlink>/foo/bar` then escapes the destination tree via `fopen(path, "wb")` because the kernel resolves the intermediate symlink during the open call. This is a defense-in-depth issue: exploitation requires a maliciously-crafted `.delta` that passes EdDSA signature verification, i.e. EdDSA private-key compromise. With the AppInstaller running as root for system-domain installs, it gives the holder of a stolen signing key arbitrary file write at root level via the delta-apply path, which is a strictly broader primitive than the "drop-in replacement bundle" install they would otherwise have. Version 2.9.2 contains a patch for the issue.
Severity
6.1 (Medium)
SSVC
Exploitation: poc
Automatable: no
Technical Impact: partial
CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)
Decision recorded 2026-07-22 14:30 UTC
CWE
Assigner
References
2 references
| URL | Tags |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle/securi… | x_refsource_CONFIRM |
| https://github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle/commit… | x_refsource_MISC |
Impacted products
1 product
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sparkle-project | Sparkle |
Affected:
< 2.9.2
|
guessed |
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